Preserving African Culture through Jewelry by Naomi MzNay Bonman, Inland Valley News Thursday September 22, 2011

Preserving African Culture through Jewelry 0 Comments Pomona, CA-- Knowing your heritage and where your roots trace back to is vital to many people. For some African Americans born and raised in the United States, they often want to visit the Motherland also known as Africa. Some may be able to make it to visit and some may not; however, just because you may not be able to visit Africa, does not mean you cannot be connected to it. There is African art, jewelry and music that connect us to the traditions of African culture. California Jewelry Importers in Pomona, California, owned by Jeff and Ulondra McCarty, help in bringing African culture to the community. The McCarty's have been in the jewelry industry for four years and they have had their building open since July 2010. The shop is currently under the name California Jewelry Importers; however, they are in the process of changing the name. "We want a name that helps to identify what we do and the unique imports from Africa," Jeff McCarty said. Ulondra McCarty partnered with a woman's group from Africa to bring the rich culture of Africa to the States. She partnered with the group of the ladies from a woman that she met who was from Zimbabwe, and from there is where she found out about more several different woman groups and began to get connected through more referrals. Ulondra sketches the designs of the jewelry and emails them to the ladies, who then bead and thread the piece together. A design usually takes one to two weeks depending on how intricate it is. "Beaded work takes longer because the beads are very fine," McCarty explains. Each piece of Kazuri jewelry, kazuri meaning "small, beautiful thing," is made from Copper and imported out of Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe. The thing that makes this jewelry so unique is that it blends American and African styles together, according to McCarty. Ulondra states that most of the designs come from what people want; therefore, you can call or email a request of what type of design you want, which makes them unique because from experience, most jewelers will only let you pick out certain colors from what they already have and if you do get to pick out a design, you probably end up spending quite a bit of money. Because the Jewelry industry is fiercely competitive, being versatile will definitely boost the success of Jewelers. The McCarty's produce other products from Africa aside from the Jewelry as well. "We produce products that are unique to Africa that aren't mass produced," Jeff said. Other products that are produced through the McCarty's are hand made bogo baskets, shea butter and African art. "A lot of people have no idea of the elegance and homemade products of Africa," states Ulondra on the richness of the African culture. The McCarty's promote different African artists. One artist that was recently promoted was Bernard Achempong. He brought them 15 canvas and several African masks. By promoting different artists, it aligns with their mission of building the community economically. According to Jeff McCarty, when things are going well they import products from Africa which gives the people of Africa more jobs and it also gives people locally in Pomona and surrounding areas more jobs as well. Once they have the products imported, they'll need people to help work trade shows and other events. "It's an economic pipeline from Africa to California," McCarty said. People always get inspired to pursue their dreams and talents by seeing the successes of others in the field that they desire to be in. For those who are interested in pursuing business in the Jewelry industry the McCartys' advice a few tips. "Don't be afraid to partner with other people, "Ulondra said. " This will allow you to grow and better yourself in the industry, and remember to stay unique." According to Jeff, it is very inexpensive to get into the jewelry industry, which makes it even more competitive. So the most important thing to remember is to find your niche and once you are able to find it, then you will know what makes your jewelry unique. The McCarty's have quite a bit in store for the future of their business. They sell their products at jazz festivals, art festivals, sorority events and any other special events where people of purchasing age, who appreciate the value of the type of art that they sell. For example, according to Jeff, you won't see them selling their jewelry at a Hip Hop concert because people who attend Hip Hop concerts are younger people who can't afford the value of their jewelry or they like more of the "bling-bling" type of jewelry and long chains. Other future plans for the business, aside from continuing to attend events, are that they want to sponsor their own events, and continuing their mission in Africa by strengthening the spirituality and business alliances of the people there so that they can continue to have jobs. "We want to take our business to the level of celebrating African culture all the time by educating our people and others." Ulondra said. Jeff adds on by saying, "We want to set up a model that entertains as well as educates the community as they are making purchases." Jeff, also a musician, wants to incorporate music into the business as well, because as we all know music is also a form of art. Their art is not just for the African American community it is for all people of every ethnic background. California Jewelry Importers is located at 3288 N. Garey Pomona, CA 91767. You can visit their website: www.kazuriafricanjewelry.com.